Everything After
by PointlesslyPoetic
Summary: Just a bunch of pointless drabbles that take place after the last book. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I've been thinking of ideas for FableHaven for a while and finally, something began to take form. As the summary says, this will be a bunch of one-shots that will mostly-if not all the time-be from Seth's POV. If you find that they have an excess amount of WarrenxVanessa that's because it'll be my main pairing. I love them. However, most chapters will only focus on one couple and will usually follow a pattern. Some will have all pairings (that I support). So without further ado:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FableHaven, Toon boom Studio, Google Chrome, Microsoft word, the Internet, or Photoshop. The rights belong to their rightful owners.**

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><p>Seth POV<p>

Once again, Seth was being left behind. Everyone else, meaning Trask, Mara, Warren, Vanessa, Bracken, Kendra, Tanu, and Dale, was going out to investigate a dispute between some fog giants. When Seth had first got the news, he had been disappointed. Then, a plan had begun to formulate. He had never been in the rooms of his friends. With them out of the house, now was the perfect opportunity.

Seth waved goodbye to his sister and the others. As soon as they were out of sight, he ran back into the house. He walked up the set of stairs that led to the bedrooms and promptly decided to try Mara's room first.

He cautiously opened the door before quickly stepping aside. When no pointy or blunt objects flew out at him, he decided that it was safe to enter.

He snooped around the room for about 10 minutes before he saw something sticking out from under Mara's pillow. Pulling the object out, he found himself staring into the face of a much younger Mara. The small child was perched on her mothers lap and was grinning into the camera. That threw Seth for a turn. He had never seen Mara smile.

Rosa herself was smiling at Mara. Seth had never seen Rosa, so he could only assume that the Hopi holding Mara was the girl's deceased mother. Mara had a much more carefree look about her as she smiled, showing a gap in her teeth where a tooth should've been. Besides the fact that she was showing a sign of elation, Mara didn't look all that much different.

Turning the photo around, he saw a few words scrawled on the back. They read: _Mara, I managed to find this after looking though the rubble. Rosa would've wanted you to have this. I'm sure she's smiling down on you, proud of what you did to help. But she wouldn't want you to cry. I know it hurts. I miss her too. We were never very close, you and I, but I hope we can compensate for lost time in the future. –Hal_

Below the words, Seth saw a few darker spots on the paper. After staring at them for a second, Seth realized that they were dried teardrops. Seth had never pictured Mara as the crying type, but he didn't blame her. If he had lost his mother, he would probably shed a few tears too.

Placing the picture back where he found it, Seth walked out of Mara's room and down the hall. He decided to skip Tanu's room. He knew enough about the Samoan. Next up was Trask.

Once again running through the booby trap test, Seth entered the room. Seth rummaged through the drawers in the bedside table, and by the time he was done, he had composed a little pile of photos.

The first was of a younger Trask, two older people, and a little girl. Seth could easily tell that the two older people were Trask's parents, and he assumed the younger girl was Trask's little sister. The second picture was a candid shot of Trask practicing sword fighting in a backyard.

The third picture showed an older boy, his little sister, and Trask. Trask was on the bottom of a pile-on, with the older kid on top of Trask, and the little girl on top of him.

Placing the photo's back in the drawer, Seth moved onto the next room, skipping Bracken's. He really didn't care about what was in the unicorn's room.

He walked up to Warren's door and entered without bothering to check for traps. He found few picture's of Warren with Dale and a letter from a friend in New York. However, he found the most interesting thing in a bedside table drawer.

In the drawer, Seth saw a little black, velvet box. Opening it up, Seth saw a diamond incrusted ring. It was made of sterling silver with a small but beautiful diamond on the top. Each side had three small rubies leading to the diamond. Even though he was a dude, Seth had to admit that it was an impressive ring. The ring had to be for Vanessa, seeing as she and Warren were already dating.

'Kendra owes me ten bucks' Seth thought with a grin. Placing the box back where he found it, Seth walked out of the room and shut the door. Realizing he forgot to close the other's doors, he quickly ran back and shut them.

The final room was Vanessa's. Seth had been waiting all day to snoop around her room. He had a feeling that the narcoblix had a lot to hide.

Once again checking for door traps and finding none, Seth entered the room. Since she had been released from the dungeon, Vanessa had been restocking her collection of critters. Instead of a rabbit with wings, she now had a flying chameleon, which Seth thought was way cooler. She had wizard slime, drumants, salamanders, exotic fish, and a regular gerbil. Seth supposed it was used for experiments.

It didn't take long to find some things worth looking at. The first was a photo album he had found on a bookshelf. Flipping through the pages, he saw a lot of unfamiliar faces. However, four kept popping out at him.

Vanessa was in a lot of the pictures, but she was never alone. She was always with one of those unfamiliar people. Two were girls, one older looking, the other clearly younger. The other two were boys, one older, one younger. He didn't figure out who they were until he came across a family portrait.

The Unfamiliar People (as Seth was now calling them) were obviously her siblings. The family photo also showed her parents. Vanessa, her older sister, and her younger one looked exactly like their mother, whereas the boys were the spitting image of their father. Vanessa was much younger on the photo, maybe 11. Her older siblings were there, along with her younger ones, who were obviously twins.

Doing one last sweep, he found a journal. It didn't have a lot of info. Vanessa's older brother was in the Army. Her parents and older sister had died. She had attended a college until she came here. She lived in California. No blackmail material whatsoever.

Skipping to a later date, he found pictures taken of Vanessa and Warren. One showed them kissing, another portrayed them sitting against a tree. In another, they were standing in one of the gazebos by the pond. In the last one, Warren was holding a sleeping Vanessa on his lap, with one arm around her waist. Seth's smirk grew with each picture. He tucked the last one into his jean pocket for future blackmail.

Exiting the room, Seth began contemplating all he had learned about his friends.

'Let's see,' thought Seth. 'Mara actually has emotions, Trask has a family, Warren needs to man up and propose, and Vanessa has a broken past.'

He decided to hang back until the rest of them got home. He couldn't wait to tell Kendra, Bracken, and Tanu about his discoveries. Theirs were the rooms he didn't visit so he could only tell them. Maybe Dale, too. Seth decided to take a nap until the others returned.

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><p>It was about 5:00 when Seth finally heard the porch door open. Eh groggily opened his eyes and hauled himself off his bed. He opened the door to his room and trudged down the stairs to the living room. He found everyone seated around the living room, looking thoroughly exhausted.<p>

Seth now looked at his friends differently. He didn't look at Mara like an emotionless weirdo. Now he understood that she kept it locked up. He saw Trask as a family man now, not just a mission man. He now knew that Warren and Vanessa loved each other more than they let on, and that Vanessa had left a lot behind to be here.

As Seth sat down next to Tanu and joined in with the conversing and laughter, he realized that they were a really an odd bunch: A unicorn, a fairy, a potion master, two adventurers, an animal tamer, and a narcoblix. And even though they were all a bit mismatched, Seth found that they fit perfectly and that he wouldn't trade them for the world.

**All right, I wasn't too happy with the ending. This is my first FableHaven fic so I'll keep working on it. I have an idea for a real chapter-y story but first I wanna finish the last book. Reviews make me happy. They really, really do.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yep. Another chapter up so soon. I can't stop writing! This chapter will be all WarrenxVanessa. Thank you to iMelinda and Symmetrically Obsessed for the reviews! Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. Brandon Mull does and I never will.**

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><p>Vanessa POV<p>

Vanessa ran through the sunlit woods at Fablehaven, trying to escape the painful words that had just been thrown at her like a knife. Tears ran down her face as she continued on at her fast speed. She thought she could trust him! Why was she so stupid?

She finally arrived at the naiad pond. Sprinting into one of the white gazebos, she finally stopped and sat down. She pulled her knees up to her chest, covered them with her arms, and began to sob into her legs. She couldn't help but mentally replay the last few horrendous moments of that day.

_She and Warren were fighting again. Warren was upset because he thought she had been flirting with the Sphinx when he came over to help Seth with his shadow charming abilities. Somehow it had gone from that topic to whether Warren and the others could trust her at all._

"_How do we know that you're not working for him again? You two seem to be getting quite friendly with each other!" yelled Warren._

_That had hurt. "I've proven a million times over that I'm on your side! What more do I have to do? I thought you loved me and trusted me!"_

"_Maybe you're really just a never-ending double act! Kendra should've left you to die at the Inverted Tower! Maybe then we'd all be better off!"_

_That was. That had broken Vanessa's heart. She didn't even bother trying to hide the tears that were beginning to spill over her eyes. She could fell her shoulders shaking and her legs backing away. _

_Realizing what had come out of his mouth, Warren tried to apologize, "Vanessa. I didn't mean-"_

_But it was too late. The damage was done and all Vanessa wanted to do was curl up and be left alone forever._

_So she ran._

Now she was here: crying her eyes out over the only person who she would probably ever trust outside her family. She could still hear Warren calling her but she didn't feel the need to answer,

After sobbing for a little while longer, Vanessa picked herself up and began to walk back to the main house.

'At least I didn't wear any make-up today,' she thought. 'Then I'd be a mess'

She pushed open the porch door of the main house, relieved to find that no one else was around. She walked up the stairs and down the hall to her room. She pushed open the door and threw her light hoodie on the floor near her bed.

Rummaging through the drawers, she found her fuzzy flannel pajama pants. As she kept looking for a shirt to lounge in, she came across one of Warren's old tee's. Thinking of him brought new tears to her eyes, but she pushed them back. She remembered when he gave it to her on a mission when one of hers got torn.

Thinking only for a moment, she went into her bathroom and changed into the pseudo-pajamas. Coming out of the bathroom, she out her clothes in the hamper and collapsed onto her bed. Within minutes, she had drifted off to sleep.

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><p>Warren POV<p>

He had really messed up. Why had he said that? He pretty much told the love of his life that he wanted her dead. He gave up looking for her in the woods and headed back to the main house. Maybe she was there.

He shoved open the front door, and was confused upon finding no one. Then he remembered that Mara and Trask and made a supply run and wouldn't be back till late, and the Sorenson's were on a family outing. Bracken was "bonding" with his sisters and he had no idea where his own brother was. If he did, he would've gone to Dale for help.

He logically decided to check Vanessa's room first. Chances are that's where she was. He gently knocked on her door and opened it. He saw her curled up on her bed, her face covered in tears stains. His heart dropped in knowing that he had made her cry. However, it lifted when he saw her wearing his old t-shirt.

He walked over to the bed and sat on its edge. He just sat there for a while and watched her sleep. It was calming to him. He brushed errant strands of hair away from her face when they happened to fall. He knew how much she hated that.

Soon though, she began to stir. Warren briefly contemplated running out of the room like a scared puppy, but then decided it was best to face the music. Vanessa opened her eyes so that they were only little slits. When she saw who was in her room, they opened fully. She stared at him for a minute before she spoke. And when she did speak, it was not the words Warren wanted to here.

"Leave," said Vanessa. "If you don't want me in your life, I'll butt out. Leave."

"Vanessa just hear me out-"

"No!" screamed Vanessa, tears once again beginning to form. "I heard you loud and clear in the woods. I think you've crushed my heart enough for one day. If you really hate me that much, I'll book the next flight to California and go home. You don't need me here. You have a perfectly capable team for missions. Without you, there's nothing left for me at Fablehaven." As if to prove her point, Vanessa started to walk towards her laptop to buy plane tickets.

"No!" yelled Warren. He lunged for Vanessa and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled the struggling woman against him and sat down on her bed. Vanessa fell onto his lap, still trying to break free of his grip.

"Sueltame ahora mismo! Te juro que te duele tanto, si usted no recibe tus manos de mi shora mismo!" Warren knew she was mad when she started speaking Spanish.

"I have absolutely no idea what you just said. I failed Spanish in middle school. Care to repeat in English?"

"I said 'Let go of me! I swear I will hurt you so bad if you don't get your hand off of me right now!'"

"Oh. Well in that case I politely decline the offer."

Vanessa stopped struggling and looked up at his hazel eyes. "Why? I thought you didn't want me in your life."

"Don't ever think that!" Warren said forcefully, gripping her tighter. "I only said that because I was jealous."

"Jealous? Warren, why on earth were you jealous?" Warren tilted his head down and kissed her forehead.

"Because of how you were connecting with the Sphinx. You seemed to have a lot in common. You even loved him at one point. That tends to make a current boyfriend pretty dang insecure you know."

Sighing, Vanessa turned her head down from his and leaned against him. "Yes, I loved him. But the key word here is _loved_. Warren, I don't want anyone else besides you. Sure, I have a few things in common with the guy. But isn't that true for everyone? You pretty much have the same career as Elise. That doesn't make me jealous."

Warren sighed and buried his nose in the top of her head. "The bottom line here is I'm sorry. What I said is unforgivable. I completely understand if you hate my guts now. I hate my guts now. Vanessa, if you died, I wouldn't be able to live. I don't know what would've happened if Kendra hadn't healed you. But if you want to break up with me now, be my guest. I would understand."

Vanessa chuckled. "Have you noticed our position? Warren, I don't want to break up with you. Ever."

Warren thought his grin would break his face. He lifted Vanessa's head up and kissed on the lips. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck as gripped her waist even harder. Eventually they broke for air, and Vanessa smiled.

"Hug me any harder and you're gonna break a rib."

Warren smiled and leaned back so that he was lying down. Vanessa rolled off of him so she could lay next to him.

"Hey, 'Nessa?"

"Mmm?"

"Promise me that when all of this artifact relocating business is done, you'll marry me?"

Vanessa's head shot up to see Warren grinning and holding a small open box with a ring in it. She gasped lightly and took the box in her hand. her eyes began to fill with tears as a smile broke out on her face. She looked up at Warren and nodded, not trusting her voice.

Warren grinned before picking her up by the waist and spinning her around. When he put her down, she slipped the ring on her hand. She looked up at her fiancé and kissed him lightly, having to stand on her tiptoes.

Warren sighed. "I wish could get married soon."

"I think it would be best until all of this artifact crud is done and over."

"You're probably right."

"Am I ever not?"

"Well..."

"Shut up."

The two shared another soft kiss before sitting down on Vanessa's bed, both thinking about their future together.

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><p><strong>Again, a really cruddy ending. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter though, and I have more confidence in it than the last one. Reviews are like duck tapre for me: a constant joy. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there. Yep chapter three! This one will have two pairings in them. WarrenxVanessa (were you expecting something else) and MaraxTrask. Yeah, I love those last two people together. They're so cute. Thanks a whole bunch to those who reviewed the last chap! I've never gotten so many for one chapter before! So here we go:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fablehaven. Brandon Mull does.**

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><p>Mara POV<p>

Mara was lying next to Trask, who had recently become her boyfriend, in the grass. They were staring up at the stars in silence. The quiet wasn't awkward, but comfortable in its own way.

Mara's head was lying on Trask's chest, while her arm was draped over his midsection. Trask had one arm around her, while the other supported his head. Suddenly, a single shooting star flew by, streaking across the night sky, and making other stars disappear momentarily with its light.

Trask tightened his arm around her and whispered "Make a wish."

Mara snuggled closer into him. "It's already come true."

Chuckling, Trask the comfortable silence ensue once more. That is, until a whole group of shooting stars flew across the sky. There must have been over one hundred as the painted the sky white for a second. As soon as it happened, it stopped. Mara let out a sigh once the moment was over.

"Reminds me of nights back in Arizona.**"**

"You miss it, don't you?"

"A little. But my home is here now, with you. Well, the others too."

"Good," Trask kissed the top of her head. "I wonder who else is watching the stars tonight."

"Hopefully everyone. This meteor shower is amazing."

Vanessa POV

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><p>Vanessa and Warren were sitting on the roof of his cottage, on that landing that gave you an awesome view of Fablehaven. Vanessa was sitting in Warren's lap with her head resting on his chest. She was gently admiring the ring on her hand. A genuine smile was on her face, a rare occurrence for someone as serious as her. For once, she felt carefree,<p>

Warren once arm around Vanessa's waist while the other played with her long hair. His legs were folded Indian style and his head was tilted back to look at the stars.

"I've never seen so many stars out on one night." he said softy. Vanessa lifted her head to the sky to see the distant orbs of light.

"It's been forever since I've seen stars," Vanessa laughed softly. For the past year, her only view had been of the Fablehaven dungeon.

"I don't know why you keep bringing that up." muttered Warren. He hated it when she reminded him of her time in custody.

Vanessa kissed his cheek softly. "Sorry. Anyway, how many constellations do you know?"

"I didn't do to well in science class either. Maybe five. I only know the really famous ones. Orion and his dogs, Cassiopeia, Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Those ones. How many do you know?"

"Most of them. There's only about ten that I just can't seem to memorize."

"Well then Miss Smarty Pants, which constellation is that?" Warren pointed to a group of stars that seemed vaguely familiar.

"That's Eridanus. Which means that Orion is over there." Vanessa pointed to the left of Eridanus. Sure enough, there was the line of three stars that made up Orion's belt.

"You're good."

"Thank you." replied Vanessa with a blush.

A few minutes later Vanessa let our a yawn and began to close her eyes.

"Someone's tired." Warren sing-songed.

"No I'm not." muttered Vanessa, already half asleep.

Warren laughed and picked her up bridal style. Vanessa was vaguely aware of being lifted up and feeling the obvious signs that she was moving. She was going to protest but thought better of it. She simply wrapped her arms around her fiancé's neck and let herself relax.

She was conscious enough to be aware of being placed on a bed and feeling Warren kiss her forehead and whisper "Goodnight." Then she surrendered to sleep.

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><p>Trask POV<p>

Trask was still gazing up at the stars when he heard a soft sound next to him. He turned to look at Mara, only to see that she was sleeping. Deciding that her own bed was probably much more comfortable than the ground, Trask picked her up, and started inside.

When he got into the main house, all was silent.

'Looks like everyone headed to bed.' thought Trask.

He ascended the stairs that lead to the rooms. Thankfully, Mara's was the closest. He wouldn't have to disturb anyone else's sleep.

Nudging open the door, Trask placed Mara on her bed and watching her immeditaly curl up into a ball like a cat. Smiling softly, Trask crouched down kissed the top of her head. With a muttered 'Goodnight,' he headed out of the room.

As he walked to his room, he didn't notice the figure in the shadows. Actually, no one would notice the figure in the shadows unless he moved.

Quickly making his way back to his bedroom, Seth held his video camera with glee.

'Another thing to add to the blackmail list.' With a Cheshire Cat grin, he closed the door to his room so he could once again begin plotting.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed! Yes the blackmail material is building up, What will happen next? To be honest, I have no idea. I'm just gonna see what my imagination does with this. Please review! They make my day!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright. I broke my promise to Symmetrically Obsessed. This wasn't up by yesterday. Oops! Anyway, here's a brand new chapter! Fresh outta the box/oven/wrapper. Mint condition! So no touchy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. The rights go to Brandon Mull. I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

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><p><em><strong>IMPORTANT NOTE<strong>_**: This chapter is a missing moment chapter. It takes place during book 5. It's based on the line Warren told Kendra he put Vanessa back in the Quiet Box. Now read on.**

Warren descended the dungeon stairs with a serious countenance. He wasn't looking forward to the task ahead of him: putting Vanessa back in the Quiet Box. He wasn't sure how she would react, nor did he want to find out. But everyone else was busy preparing for the mission.

He finally reached the end of the stairs and walked down the hall to his destination. Unlocking the door to her cell, Warren walked in to see Vanessa sitting on her bed reading a heavy book. Glancing at the cover, Warren saw it was one of those Harry Potter books that everyone raved about. She didn't seem to have heard him, and Warren wanted to take advantage of that.

"You a Harry Potter fan?" Warren smirked when Vanessa let out a startled yelp and dropped her book.

Glaring at him she complained, "Now you made me lose my place!"

"Well ex-_cuse_ me, Miss Snappy."

Sighing, Vanessa stared at him almost sadly, "Why are you here, Warren? We both know you would never spend time with me willingly."

"Hey, now you know that's not true. I-"

"Save it, Burgess," she snarled. "I'll ask again. Why. Are. You. Here?

Shuffling his feet, Warren looked at the floor. "Because you have to back to the Quiet Box."

All was silent for a minute. Then Warren heard her softly say, "Oh."

Looking up, Warren noticed she was sitting on her bed again, staring at the cover of her book. Taking only a second to decide, Warren sat down next to her.

"I suppose you can't tell me why?"

"Not really. Sorry."

They fell into silence once more. Then Warren spoke again.

"It won't be for too long this time. I promise."

"How do you know?"

"...I don't." he admitted sheepishly. Vanessa sighed and turned to look at him.

"Do you remember when we first met?" she asked.

"Yep. You hated my guts." Vanessa laughed a little.

"Hey! I got you to laugh. Chalk one up for Warren." This just made her laugh harder. Soon Warren joined in. Their laughter continued for a little until it finally calmed down.

They looked at each other and their smiles began to disappear. They found themselves leaning in toward each other. Before their lips met, Vanessa began to pull away. Not thinking clearly, Warren reached out, grabbed her shoulders, and kissed her on the mouth.

Vanessa was only in shock for a moment before she began to reciprocate. The two kissed for a while longer, before Warren pulled away.

"Sorry." he muttered, not breaking eye contact with her.

"Don't be." for the first time in a while, Vanessa was smiling.

"C'mon," said Warren glumly. "You have to go back into the Quiet Box."

Vanessa sighed as well but didn't protest or argue. Warren really admired her patience. He would've been beyond mad if his captors didn't trust him by now. Vanessa had been one of their greatest helps during this war. He would've died at the dragon temple had she not taken over Tanu.

They finally arrived at the Quiet Box. Vanessa turned to look at him one last time. Neither moved a muscle until Vanessa stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Warren hugged her back and lifted her chin so she was facing him.

He kissed her on the lips gently and broke the contact before she could react. He hugged her tight to him and kissed the top of her head before letting go completely. He opened the door of the Quiet Box and Vanessa wordlessly stepped in. Warren closed the door before he could see her face. If he had looked at her before shutting the door, though, he wouldn't have seen a face of sadness or depression but one of determination and happiness.

As the Quiet Box slowly rotated, Warren had more faith than ever that he would see the narcoblix again.

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><p><strong>Not too happy with how that ended. Again, I had a lot of fun writing it. Hope you all enjoyed! And remember, reviews make my day!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey again! Update number 5! Haha, I love that song. I just want to give a huge thanks to Symmetrically Obsessed for complimenting me in her story and reviewing. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me here on FF. ALSO: If anyone here reads the House of Night series, can you go check out my friends story on it? Her name is HON4EVR. She's one of my best friends and she is really good with her writing. Please check it out! Anyway:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. Like always, the rights are Brandon Mull's. Chances are he won't be giving them to me anytime soon.**

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><p><strong>Warren POV<strong>

Warren was wandering around the house, bored out of his mind. It had been about two weeks since they had defeated Gogrog (sp?). Since then, not much had happened. Right now, Mara, Trask, Kendra, Seth, and Kendra were away on missions. Even Bracken wasn't around.

With a sigh, Warren headed outside. He walked into the woods hoping to find something that would save him from the never-ending boredom.

He had been walking for a while when he heard a noise. Deciding that it was coming from the naiad pond, he began to head in that direction. He soon ran into Verl, who looked exasperated.

"What's up Verl? Why the face?"

"It's Newel and Doren," he began. "I don't know what they see _her_. It's Kendra they should love."

"Her who?"

"That narcoblix woman you hang around."

'Vanessa?' thought Warren. "Well thanks Verl. I'll go see what's up."

Verl simply 'Hmph-ed" and trotted away.

Warren headed through the archway to see what Verl was so frazzled about. When he got their, he saw.

Vanessa was trying to read a book, this time the 6th Harry Potter, while Newel and Doren attempted to talk to her. When Vanessa didn't respond, they simply went back to staring at her adoringly.

Something about the scene made Warren both upset and sad. Walking over briskly, he spoke to the satyrs.

"Alright guys," said Warren, startling the satyrs and Vanessa. "Leave her alone. She wants to read and you're not helping"

Sensing the tone in his voice, the satyrs didn't argue. They trotted out of the pond area to go find some dryads who would entertain them.

"Thank you." muttered Vanessa, putting her book down. Warren sat down next to her. Before an awkward silence could ensue, Warren spoke.

"So...I was wondering..."

"No."

"No what?"

"I know what you're going to ask. No."

"What was I going to ask, then?"

"You were going to ask if I'd be your girlfriend."

"...You're good."

"No."

Warren felt and looked crestfallen. "Why?"

Vanessa sighed. "Look, I remember full and well what happened in the dungeon. We were acting on the moment. I wasn't thinking and I'm sure you weren't either. Warren, the last time we dated, it ended just like I thought it would. I don't want to go through that heartbreak again. I'm sorry."

Vanessa got up, picked up her book, and left the pond. Warren sat there stunned for a minute before chasing after her.

When he didn't catch up immediately, he realized that she was running as well. However, Warren had the longer legs and soon caught sight of her. She was still far from the house. Putting all of his energy into running, he finally caught up. He ran infront of her so that she stopped right before she ran into him. When she sighed and looked at him expectingly, he beagan to talk.

"Vanessa, listen to me. I was thinking very clearly that day. I was completely aware of what I was doing. I wanted to kiss you. I still love you. I've never been more sorry than I am for breaking you're heart all those years ago. But please, give us one more chance. I swear to never hurt you again. At least not intentionally. Please"

Warren stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug. He felt her arms wrap around his torso so she could hug him back. Warren lifted her chin up with two fingers and kissed her gently. When they separated, they didn't say anything. They didn't need to. They walked back to the house, hand in hand, both happier than they could remember.

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><p><strong>Alright. That didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. Oh well. If have any requests or ideas, feel free to PM me. And yes, this was a direct continuation of the last chapter. Hope you liked. Reviews make my day!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Woo! Another chappie! I'm on a roll! Yeah baby! Once again, thanks to Symmetrically Obsessed for reviewing. Here's an idea I got a few days ago but I wanted to do the other chapter first. Well, here goes something.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Fablehaven. I am but a peasant without a penny to live by. Lo, the rights belongeth to Brandon Mull.**

Vanessa POV

Vanessa was walking through the woods quite a distance away from the house. She, Mara, Trask, Tanu, and Warren were investigating the area around Grunhold, looking for signs that Nero had been through this way. The satyrs had reported seeing a troll around the area, and if it wasn't Nero, problems could arise.

Sighing, Vanessa continued to push through the underbrush, looking for any footprints or markings that were out of place. Nothing. Just the usual hoof marks from satyrs and...centaurs.

With a start, Vanessa realized these hoof marks were fresh, just a few minutes old. Beginning to panic, she looked around wildly. None of her companions were in sight. Backing away from the area, she turned and ran as fast as she could. Sure enough, she heard resounding hoof beats heading her way.

Running blindly, Vanessa prayed she would run into someone soon. If not...she tried not to think about those possibilities. Looking around, she saw a tall pine tree with many branches.

Charging for the tree, Vanessa jumped onto the lowest branch and began scrambling upward. She was soon a good 30 feet above the ground and well concealed. Allowing herself to breath, she closed her eyes and listened intently. The hoof beats got closer to her hiding spot until they stopped all together. She heard the centaurs speaking in their native tongue.

Suddenly, the whole tree began to shake. The centaurs were kicking it! Now that they had found her, Vanessa knew she was trapped. She felt tears began to well in her eyes, but she held the back.

'No,' she thought. 'I can't give up. I have to stay strong. For Warren. For my family.'

Suddenly, one centaur, Cloudwing, pulled out his crossbow. Realizing this was probably the end for her, Vanessa yanked off her ring and held it tight in her hand. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt an excruciating pain directly below her left shoulder. She felt her self dropping off of the branch and smacking the ground. She was briefly aware of a cracking noise before darkness overcame her.

Warren POV

After finding nothing suggesting another troll, the scouts began to regroup. Soon, all except Vanessa were gathered in the designated meeting clearing in the forest.

"This isn't right," said Mara. "Nessa would've been the first one to be back. She hates missions like this."

"Something else is off," said Trask. "Something we should be aware of."

Suddenly everyone looked up at each other with comprehension, horror, and fear on their faces.

"Centaur territory."

Before anyone could move, Warren had taken off in the direction Vanessa had been tracking in. Everyone followed suit, heading in different directions. Tanu ran back to the house to see if she had turned up there.

"Vanessa!" Warren yelled as loud as he could. "Vanessa!"

Warren reached the spot where Vanessa had found the hoof prints. Following her footprints, he was lead to a small clearing surrounded by tall pine trees. It didn't take Warren long to spot her white shirt. Making his way over to her, Warren almost lost it right there.

Vanessa had an arrow coming out of her shoulder and her ankle looked a bit twisted. Warren noticed that her left hand was clenched tightly into a fist. Uncurling her hand, Warren saw her engagement ring held securely in her hand. Placing it on the appropriate hand, Warren stood up and turned towards the woods.

"I found her!" he screamed into the woods, trying to keep his voice level. Kneeling down again, Warren placed to fingers on her neck to find a pulse. He almost leaped for joy when he found one. It was faint, but there.

Mara, Trask, Tanu, Bracken, and the Sorensons all came running into the clearing. Warren carefully picked Vanessa up and turned toward the others. Trask, Tanu, and Bracken's eyes widened, while Seth squinched his eyes shut and turned away. mara wrapped a comforting arm around Kendra who was beginning to cry. Scott, Marla, Stan, and Ruth all covered their mouths in horror.

"She's alive," said Warren. "Just barely."

"Quick," said Stan. "Back to the house. Mara can treat her."

"I'll try," said the Hopi woman. "But I'm no miracle worker."

Warren carried her back to the house, his eyes never leaving her pained face. When they arrived, Warren was directed up the stairs to Vanessa's room. He gently put her down on her bed and held her hand as he waited for Mara to come up.

When Mara entered, she told Warren gently but firmly that he would be waiting downstairs. Warren nodded numbly.

Downstairs, Trask helped distract him by turning on the football game. Stan had finally let up and had allowed electronics into the house. Warren eventually became engrossed in the game and began cheering along with Tanu and Trask. Eventually Seth and Bracken came in and they all explained football to Bracken. He was hooked in minutes.

When halftime came, Warren was feeling considerably better. But that all changed when Mara walked in the room.

Trask muted the game as everyone turned to her. The adults came in from the kitchen to hear. Mara looked up at everyone solemnly before a grin broke her face.

"Vanessa's going to be fine."

Everyone breathed out a huge sigh of relief while Warren looked at her questioningly. Mara nodded in response and Warren ran up the stairs to Vanessa's room.

Pushing the door open gently, Warren walked into the room. Vanessa was sitting on the bed reading a book in her pajamas. Her ankle was propped on a pillow and he could see the bulk of a bandage under her shirt on her left shoulder. She looked up as he walked in and smiled.

Warren quickly walked over to her and sat on the bed so he was facing her.

"How are you?"

"I've honestly been through worse."

"I'm amazed you're still alive."

"Good. That makes two of us."

They both smiled at their usual banter and laughed lightly. Vanessa set her book aside **(Any guesses? Virtual cookie to those who guess it.) **and looked at Warren. Warren wrapped his arms around her gently, careful to mind her injured shoulder, and hugged her to him.

"Don't ever do that to me again."

Vanessa leaned back and snapped a sarcastic salute. "Yes, sir."

Laughing, Warren leaned forward and kissed her forehead. When he pulled back, he noticed that her eye lids were heavy.

"How are you tired? I'd be bouncing of the walls and celebrating that I'm alive."

"Mara gave me a sleeping injection," yawned Vanessa. "She says I need rest."

"Then you should. I'll be back later. I need to find out who wins the game."

"Let me know who."

"Mmk." Warren kissed her cheek one last time before getting up and heading downstairs. He glanced back at his sleeping fiancé one last time and thanked God that she was still here. Looking up in the general direction of the sky, he said "And while you're working miracles, please let the Chargers win."

**Hope you all enjoyed. Like I said, virtual cookie if you can guess Vanessa's book. Shouldn't be too hard if you've been paying attention. Once again, I take suggestions and reviews make my day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yesh! Yet another chapter! I am epic! Thanks to those who reviewed. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don not own Fablehaven. The rights belong to Brandon Mull.**

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><p>Seth POV<p>

'This is what I get for leaving the yard when I'm grounded.' thought Seth. Since Seth had disobeyed his punishment, he received a new one. He was now stuck raking leaves on a Saturday afternoon with no one to keep him entertained.

As he raked another batch of leaves into the already huge pile, Seth wondered if he could get Bracken or Warren to join him. He doubted they would. They were both busy watching the college football games on TV with everyone else.

Just as Seth was raking the last bit of leaves in the pile, he heard the back door fly open and footsteps on the porch. The next thing he knew, a person had dove straight into his pile and had demolished an afternoon's worth of raking.

Spinning around to glare at the offender, or in this case _offenders_, Seth saw none other than Warren and Bracken laughing in the red and gold leaves. Before he could react, Mara, Vanessa, Trask, Kendra, and Tanu came running out of the house.

Realizing the potential fun that could now take place, Seth threw his rake aside, and jumped into a small pile of leaves. As he was laughing, he felt a bunch of leaves, dirt, and twigs hit the back of his head.

Seth turned his head to see Kendra, laughing like a maniac. Picking up a clump of his own, he hurled it at Kendra, only to miss and hit Vanessa in the back of the head. She turned around from her rake fight with Mara to glare at him. When, a playful smile formed on her face, Seth knew it was time to run.

He ran as far away as he could, but Vanessa was much faster. Soon, a pile of damp leaves flew into his hair. Seth grabbed some more leaves and threw them as he turned around, only to hit Warren who was now in front of him. Both he and Vanessa were holding rather large clumps of leaves, and were smirking at him.

Seth wasn't even thinking as he was running away. He just needed to find Bracken and fast. Seth saw the unicorn boy hiding behind a tree. He called to him and when Bracken turned his way, he motioned to the pursuing adults behind him. Bracken looked at Seth and then the tree. Motioning upwards, he began to climb. Seth lunged at the tree and began to shimmy up, looking vaguely like a monkey having a spaz attack while climbing.

Once they were safe, Seth and Bracken began making faces at the two below. Vanessa and Warren gave up and began to walk away when suddenly an idea struck Seth. Calling down to the others he yelled,

"Hey guys! Why don't we play capture the flag?"

Seth slid down the tree with Bracken close behind. When he reached the ground he looked at everyone for an answer.

"Sure."

"I guess."

"Why not?"

"Sounds fun!"

"I haven't played in forever."

"Yes! Let's do it!"

"Alright," said Seth. "You all pick teams while I get the flags."

Seth ran into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. He grabbed two flags, one orange one purple from his drawer. They plain handkerchiefs tied to sticks to form a triangular flag.

Running out of the house again, he was told the teams were:

**Warren, Trask, Mara, and Vanessa**

**Him, Bracken, Kendra, and Tanu**

When they had explained the game to Bracken and had gone over the rules, the teams ran in opposite directions into the woods to find their spot to keep the flag.

Seth's team had traveled quite a distance before the came to a small hill made of rocks. Kendra quickly scaled the rocks and stuck the orange flag in the top of them. They quicly decided that Tanu and Bracken would guard the flag while Seth and Kendra went to steal the other team's.

Seth and Kendra raced back to the house, crossed the yard, and went in the direction the others had gone. They finally reached a clearing with a huge tree in the center. The purple flag was pretty much at the very top. Warren was in the tree and Trask was patrolling the ground.

Seth and Kendra backed away from the spot and began to whisper.

"This means that Vanessa and Mara are trying to get our flag." whispered Kendra.

"How are we gonna get the flag?"

"You're going to be a distraction."

"Righ-What?"

"Lead them away so I can get the flag."

"No way! I climb faster than you!"

"Fine. I'll distract them you get the flag."

"Good. How are you gonna do that?"

"Don't worry. I'm a pretty good actress."

Kendra stood up and began to run in place and pant a bit before she went into the clearing.

"Warren...Trask!" she paused to catch her breath. "Vanessa and Mara...they're hurt!"

Trask ran over as Warren jumped down. "What happened?"

"They were climbing our rock pile to get the flag when Mara hit a loose boulder and she and Vanessa got hit with rocks! Vanessa broke her arm and Mara's unconscious!"

Both men were out of the clearing in the blink of an eye. Seth was proud until he realized their one flaw.

"That was great and all Kendra but now the whole opposing team is at our base and when they find out those two aren't hurt they're gonna have no problem catching iour flag."

"Then climb like a monkey on steroids!"

"Right!"

Seth began climbing faster than he ever had. He grabbed the flag, descended a few branches and jumped the rest of they way.

"C'mon!"

They took off in the direction of their base, hoping that the other team hadn't gotten their flag yet.

They got to the clearing just as the opposite team was climbing the pile.

"Stop right there!" Everyone turned toward Seth as he pulled out the orange flag. "We win!"

Tanu and Bracken whooped as the other team groaned. They jumped off the rock pile and sighed. Then they smiled and began to laugh with the others.

Vanessa turned to the boys on her team "I can't believe you two fell for that."

Mara smirked. "It shows that boys are even stupider when they're love."

The girls began to laugh as the boys tried to object. Eventually they gave up and began to laugh too. Everyone laughed and talked and teased until they heard Grandma Sorenson's voice call:

"Dinner time! I made pasta!"

Seth made eye contact with everyone before he yelled:

"Last one there has to do the dishes!"

Everyone took off for the house, with Mara beating all. Bracken ended up being last.

As they walked through the door, Seth turned to his friends "Manhunt after dinner?"

They answer was simultaneous.

"You're on!"

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><p><strong>Hope you all liked it! It was a ton of fun to write. Here's another cookie question(it's tricky): Who knows where I got the flag colors from? Hint: It's from a comic series that featured in stuff like this. Reviews make my day!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**I know that I'm a horrible person for not updating. My summary even says 'Updates will be frequent.' I'm a liar…So here's the next chapter. Sorry if it's no good. I lots my FableHaven mojo for a while. It's was awful. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. Brandon Mull does. Lucky guy…**

**_IMPORTANT NOTE_: This is another continuation of chapter 4. It's another missing moment chapter and it has nothing to do with chapter 5.**

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><p>Warren POV<p>

Warren sighed as looked down at the water swiftly flowing under the _Lady Luck_. As beautiful as the sight was, it was also mildly depressing. He felt like a prisoner on his way to his own hanging.

'That's the price we have to pay to stop them,' he silently reminded himself.

"Someone looks depressed today." came a voice from behind. Warren turned around to see Vanessa walking toward him. She leaned her back against the railing next to him.

"What's wrong? Kendra told me about how you were trying to be a martyr this entire time. Now your having doubts?"

"It's just that...I've been close to dying a million times, but none of that affected me. You know why? Because back then, there was always a small chance of escape. And I always made it out. But now...Now there's no chance. We're going to die. That's that."

"That's really depressing. You shouldn't think of it like that. There's always a silver lining to every dark cloud. You just need to find it. It might not be an escape. It could be something totally different."

"What's your silver lining, Nessa?"

"I could've sworn I told you to never call me that again."

"I don't recall you saying that..._Nessa._"

"Why do I bother? Anyway, my silver lining is that if I die, it'll be for a good cause. Even if we can't stop them, someone else can. We're just helping them."

"That's your _only_ silver lining?"

"...No. It's also about my family. Maybe doing this will make up for the way I abandoned them. I can never apologize in person. I just hope they know I died to help them. Especially my younger sister. I swore I'd never leave her. Now I'll never see her again."

"Are you sure that's your last silver lining?"

"Alright, what are you getting at?"

Warren threw his hands in the air. "Me! Last time we saw each other, you kissed me! Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Why?" Vanessa asked cautiously. "What's your silver lining?"

"You," Warren whispered. He saw Vanessa's eyes widen and he smiled. "You're the only upside to this fiasco. Sure we're gonna die, but as long as we die side by side, I'm fine."

"That's both sweet and morbid." Vanessa chuckled. Looking up at Warren, she realized he was her silver lining, too.

Walking closer to him, Vanessa stood on her toes (she was a whole head shorter than him) and kissed him on the lips. It wasn't passionate or anything, but it was enough for Warren. He kissed her back just as lightly.

After a couple of seconds, Vanessa slowly broke the kiss. Warren wrapped his arms around her when she started to shiver.

"Why is it so cold? Yeesh..." Vanessa muttered.

"We're off the coast of Hatterras Island. If it's cold there, it's gonna be even colder out here."

Vanessa just made a noise of discomfort and snuggled even closer to Warren. Warren suddenly got an idea. Without a word, Warren swept Vanessa off her feet so that he held her bridal style. She let out a surprised shriek and glared at Warren.

"Any warmer?"

Hitting him over the head lightly, she kissed his cheek before replying, "Yep."

Warren held her like that for a little while longer before he put her down. They walked back over to the railing to see the view the ocean offered. Warren had one arm around Vanessa to keep her warm.

They just stared at the ocean and conversed every now and then for about an hour. That's when it started to get dark and the undead crew began to appear.

"C'mon," Vanessa muttered. "Let's head down to the cabins. These things give me the creeps."

Warren wordlessly took her hand and led her off the deck and down the stairs to where the cabins were. When they reached Vanessa's cabin, she announced to Warren that she was turning in for the night.

Warren kissed her forehead comfortingly as she went to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the top of her head.

"Promise me you won't leave my side tomorrow. Walking to Zzyzx or when we're fighting." Warren asked.

"I promise." came the muffled reply. Warren kissed the top of her head one more time before removing his arms from around her.

"If we live through this, Stan and Ruth are gonna kill us."

Vanessa looked up and kissed him one more time before saying, "I. Don't. Care. Ruth's always hated me, even when I honestly worked for the Knights. Don't know why nor do I care."

Warren laughed before saying his good night. As he was walking down the hall toward his room, he could've sworn he saw a shadow move. He didn't think anything of it, though. He just kept walking until he got to his room. He looked once more down the hallway before disappearing for the night.

Seth waited a second before walking out of the shadows. He checked the pictures on his camera that showed Warren and Vanessa kissing up on deck, and the other that showed them hugging in the hallway. He was amazed Warren didn't catch him.

"Love _does _make you stupid!"

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><p><strong>Lol, yes. The triumphant return of Seth. Wouldn't be my story without him. Hope this was okay. I won't be updating for a while because I have a huge Civil War report due soon that I'm barely started on. Then I have family coming up for Thanksgiving, and between now and then, I'll probably have a crud-load of homework.. Reviews make my day! <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm back! This chapter will be fairly short since I need to help with Thanksgiving dinnah, but I hope you enjoy this all the same. This chapter is dedicted to the following since they helped with ideas in an indirect way:**

**SymmetricallyObsessed (finally spelled you name right! Chessss..)**

**wolfeclipse25 (out random conversatons were somehow inspiring)**

**BookLoverNumberUno(loved you ideas and thanks for the inspiration)**

**You guys were all so awesome with the inspiration. Everyone should check out their stories because they're made of WIN! Happy Thanksgiving!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. Rights go to Brandon Mull.**

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><p>Warren POV<p>

Warren looked around in disbelief. They had one! Kendra had defeated the demon king and the dragons had the rest covered. But where was Vanessa? He had lost her near the beginning of the battle. He was so lost in thought that he didn't see the demon creeping up from behind till it was too late.

Warren turned around, only to see the glint of a sword high above him. Then..nothing.

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><p>Vanessa POV<p>

Vanessa was in shock as well. She thought for sure she was a goner. She had only made one mistake during the battle: she broke her promise. She had left Warren for two seconds to help an astrid. When she turned around, she had lost sight of him. She tried to look as she was fighting but he was nowhere to be found.

Now that the battle was over, it would be much easier to find him. She just hoped he wasn't one of the fatalities on the ground below her.

The more she searched, the more panicked Vanessa became. It had been about fifteen minutes and there was no sign of her loved one. This wasn't like him. He'd be cheering with Seth over how cool the battle was. She was about to swallow her pride and ask Bracken when something caught her eye. A sword. A sword with markings and a bejeweled handle. The sword from Lost Mesa.

Tears filled Vanessa's eyes as she charged over to Warren's motionless body. She fell to her knees when she neared his body and bent over him.

'No. No. No!' was all that ran through the blix's head. She felt for his pulse and almost shouted when she found one. She sliced open part of his shirt and began to perform CPR. When nothing happened after a few minutes, Vanessa stopped. It was then the tears began to fall.

"You can't leave me, you arrogant nimrod!" she choked out. "You promised! You said that we would either live or die together and I am_ not_ about to commit suicide. I'm sorry I broke my promise! I didn't mean to! Please come back to me."

Vanessa continued to sob on Warren's chest when she heard a faint moan, Looking up at Warren, she saw his mouth trying to move.

"Vanessa...?" groaned Warren. "I'm here."

Vanessa thought for a second that she was hallucinating. Then she realized that it was real. Warren tried to sit up, but just got tackled right back down with an 'Oof!'

* * *

><p>Warren POV<p>

It took Warren a second to comprehend the life form that was clinging to him. Once he did, he hugged her back just as fiercely. He ran his hand through her hair and whispered soothingly in her ear as Vanessa cried on him.

"Never leave me again!" she cried.

"I don't intend to." he whispered. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her awat slightly so that he could see her face.

"I thought you were- you were-" but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"I'm sorry. I was so stupid! I can't believe I didn't see that thing!"

"It's gone now. We're fine."

For the next few minutes, the two just held each other. That is, until Warren felt a hot, burning sensation all over his torso. He gently pushed Vanessa off his lap to look at the wound. He almost fainted when he saw what happened.

There was a huge, gaping slash across his chest that was bleeding profusely. The pain seemed to intensify when he actually saw it. Warren cried out in pain and put his arm to his chest. His eyes scrunched up from the pain and blood roared in his ears.

Warren was vaguely aware of Vanessa running away to find Bracken or an astrid. Before he could stop himself, blackness washed over his vision. The last thing he thought was, 'Vanessa's gonna kill me if this doesn't.'

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><p>Vanessa POV<p>

I ran across the field to find Bracken. When I found him, he just kinda glared at me.

"Blix. What do you want?"

"Look Pony Boy. I could call you names all day if I wanted to, but right now I need you're help."

"Really now?" Bracken's interest seemed to peak. "And just what should I get in return?"

"Are you serious?"

"Indeed I am"

"Fine. I'll replay you later with whatever you want, but right now I need you to heal Warren."

"Warren?" Bracken was all business again. "What's wrong?"

"He had this huge sword cut across his chest. He needs healing fast or-"once again, Vanessa couldn't finish that thought.

"Take me to him."

The two set off across the field as fast as they could run. They reached Warren, and Vanessa could see that he had fainted again.

"I'm gonna kill him if he lives." she muttered.

Bracken ran his hand over the slash on Warren's chest and placed his other hand on Warren's head. Bracken's hands glowed for a second and when the light faded, the scar was closed.

"The scar will never fade, unfortunately. But he will be fine."

"Thank you," Vanessa said sincerely. "I would've died without him. I'll repay you."

"Don't bother. I was only kidding," Bracken chuckled. "You two are perfect for each other, by the way."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're auras. They're in perfect harmony. You'll be happy together."

As Bracken walked away, Vanessa turned her eyes back to Warren. She started when she saw his eyes were open.

"I guess you heard that." she said sheepishly.

"Yep. It's good to know, really. Now I don't have to date again. I've got the one for me right here."

"I don't know whether to blush at the notion, or laugh at the corniness."

"Both would be appreciated."

Vanessa laughed at his care-freeness. Warren sat up properly so he could lightly kiss her lips. Vanessa reciprocated just as she had the day before on _Lady Luck_. She sighed contentedly as they pulled away. She finally had all she wanted.

"I love you." said Warren simply.

"I love you too."

"That's a relief."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and lightly shoved his chest. Warren didn't even grunt when she touched the scar. They sat in companionable silence until the astrids came for them. Warren looked a little jealous as her astrid picked her up bridal style. She just smirked and laughed at his slightly red face.

She felt bad when her eyes lids began to droop and she knew she'd fall asleep in the astrid's arms. 'Oh well. All boys need to deal with jealousy at one point' she thought.

She was awakened slightly when they landed but instead of being woken up, she was placed into someone else's arms. Curoius, she ran her hands across their bare chest and smiled when she felt a scar. Warren's arms were way more comfy than that astrid's. As she snuggled against his chest, she felt more at home than she had been in a while.

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><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed. Turned out longer than I thought. I enjoyed writing it. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Remember, reviews make my day and I reply to every one of them. <strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey! Sorry in not updating in, like, forever! Hope you can all forgive me. Any way, this chapter took a while to think of which you can probably tell. I hope you all like it. Btw, who hear watches that new show, Once Upon a Time? I do, and I'm totally in love with it! Just curious.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. All rights go to Brandon Mull**

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><p>Vanessa POV<p>

Vanessa was sitting at the kitchen table in Fablehaven's main house, surfing the web for information on their next mission site. Since the deom's were taken care of, everyone was helping Agad relocate the artifacts to much safer places. She was checking out a remote, uncharted island near Indonesia when her vision was suddenly blocked by a hand.

"Guess who?" murmured a voice from behind. The voice gave the person away right off the bat.

"Hmmm...could it be Santa Claus?"

"Try again."

"Trask."

"Hilarious."

"Stan?"

"Do I sound like an old man?"

"Do you really want me answer that truthfully?"

"Love you too, Vanessa."

Vanessa turned around to see her fiancé, Warren. She gavcve him a quick kiss and went back to her research.

"Whatcha doin'?" Warren asked in a sing song voice.

"Searching up possible artifact locations."

"We should hide one in Disney World."

"Why?"

"...I've never been there."

Vanessa started laughing and Warren soon followed. When they were done and could catch their breath, Warren gently shut Vanessa's black laptop and looked her in the eyes.

"What do you say," he began. "To procrastinating for a bit and going on a walk with me?"

"I'd love to."

Standing up, Warne bowed in an exaggerated manner and held out his hand for her to take.

"You're so corny."

"The corniest."

Chuckling, they walked out of the house and strolled in the woods. They walked in a comfortable silence **(Yes, Symmetrical, I do enjoy those very much :3)**, Warren's arm around Vanessa's waist and her head on his shoulders.

"Connecticut is beautiful in the fall." Vanessa said.

"It really is. You've never really seen the leaves change like this, have you?"

"Not really. Only when I'm on a mission in places like this. Back in California, you don't really see this. I love it."

"It's okay. What I really love is winter. The fires, Christmas, being with family, all that stuff."

"I'm more of a spring and summer person. But winter does have certain charms."

"And the best part about this winter is," he paused and looked at Vanessa. "I get to spend my Christmas with you." He gave her a warm kiss on the cheek and pulled her closer.

"Once again, corny," she kissed his cheek in return. "But sweet."

They continued to walk on in silence. When they heard something move in the bushes, they stopped and shifted into a defensive stance. Inside, Vanessa was terrified that it was a centaur, but she didn't let it show. What made matters worse was she was unarmed and she was fairly sure Warren was too.

They both relaxed when Newel and Doren came bounding out of the bushes, fishinhg poles in hand.

"Oh!" said Newel. "Hello Vanessa!" Warren." He said Warren's name with a little less enthusiasm.

"What brings you around this neck of the woods. I would think you'd like to avoid the centaurs and satyrs." Doren piped up.

Looking around, Vanessa realized they were pretty close to centaur territory. Far too close for her liking. She tugged a little on Warren's arm and motioned with her head in the other direction.

"You're right," said Warren. "We do. We'll see you guys around."

"Don't wanna come adamant fishing with us Warren?"

"Maybe tomorrow. See you around."

"Later!" chorused the satyrs as they scampered off towards where Kurisock's Domain once was.

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><p>Warren POV<p>

"Nice guys. A little weird, but nice." Warren turned to Vanessa to see her glancing around uncomfortably. "What's wrong?"

"I heard something. Something too big to be a satyr."

Looking around, Warren didn't see anything, but he heard something all the same. Hooves. More than two. Coming near them.

"Run," he told Vanessa. "Stick to the trails and don't stop till you reach the yard. Go!" He shoved her lightly in the direction of the yard and watched as she took off. He prayed she would make it back safely.

Not 10 seconds after Vanessa disappeared did Cloudwing come trampling into view. He stood about two heads above Warren, who stood 6'2" himself. He regarded Cloudwing with respect and muted defiance. He wasn't scared or intimidated by the glorified satyr.

"Warren Burgess. Where is the blix?"

"She's not anywhere near here. I'm alone."

"Lies," snorted the centaur. "I caught her scent not a minute ago."

"She's been through here many times with us on missions."

"The scent wasn't stale!" roared Cloudwing. He reared up on his legs and drew his crossbow. "Where is she?"

Warren remained calm. He couldn't betray where Vanessa was. He wouldn't. Not for a million dollars.

Suddenly, Cloudwing looked past Warren and grinned. Another centaur was approaching fast, holding something in his arms. Warren felt a falling sensation when he saw it was an unconscious Vanessa. He whirled to face Cloudwing.

"Please. Don't hurt her. I will do anything, _anything_, you ask if you don't hurt her."

"She committed one of the greatest crimes a human can. Now she must pay." The other centaur, Nightmane, set Vanessa down on the forest floor. When Warren made a move toward her, he galloped behind him and held him back.

Cloudwing raised his crossbow and was about to pull the trigger when:

"Loose that arrow and die!" Newel and Doren came charging out of the forest, each brandishing a tar covered sword and shield, and wearing adamant breastplates.

Newel jumped on Cloudwing so that the arrow missed and went flying into the woods somewhere. Doren rammed into Nightmane, who lost immediately lost his grip on Warren.

"I owe you guys big time!" He shouted over his shoulder. He ran over to Vanessa and gathered her into his arms. He took off toward his cottage without looking back. He didn't hear hoof beats following him at all.

When he finally reached his cottage, he walked in and set Vanessa down on the couch. He looked her over and saw no blood, just a large bruise on her temple. He put some ice on it to decrease the swelling and headed into his kitchen, he grabbed an apple off the counter and headed up the stairs that led to the landing on the roof.

He made himself comfy and looked up at the fading clouds and multi-colored leaves. He was counting the leaves on one tree when he began to feel sleep pull at his eyes. He eventually gave up fighting it and let the feeling consume him.

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><p>Vanessa POV<p>

When she finally managed to regain her senses, the first thing Vanessa noticed was that she wasn't on the forest floor. Instead, she was on a rather comfortable couch. The second thing she noticed was the splitting pain in the side of her head.

All she can remember was running as fast as she could away from the noise. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Cloudwing's deep voice behind her. That only made her run faster. Then she heard something running beside her, but before she could fully turn to see what, it hit her in the side of the head with something and her vision went black. Looking back, she was fairly sure that it was one of Cloudwing's buddies.

She stood up but quickly sat back down as all the blood rushed to her head. Once she could stand up without getting dizzy, she placed the ice pack in the kitchen and went to look for Warren. Following her first instinct, she headed up the stairs to the landing they stargazed on. When she saw Warren asleep with his head on his knees she laughed silenly.

"Warren?" she called softly. When she didn't get an answer, she walked over, even with her head killing her. She kneeled down in front of him and kissed him softly. When she pulled away, Warren's eyes were open and he was grinning. They both stood up and looked at each other. They were silent for a minute before Warren stepped toward her and pulled her against him. He hugged her tight and she did the same.

"I thought you were gone." He whispered.

"Me too. I've been in way too much mortal peril lately."

"That's for sure."

Vanessa looked up at Warren and he leaned down to kiss her. It was soft and slow but held everything they meant to each other. Vanessa smiled and kissed him back. When they pulled away, Vanessa yawned and leaned against him.

"Let's get back to the main house," Warren suggested. "They're probably wondering where we went."

"Vanessa looked up at him with big eyes and a pleading expressions. "Carry me?"

"Of course." Warren chuckled. He placed one hand under her knees and the other on her back and lifted her into his arms bridal style. She cuddled her head against his chest and began to fall asleep. She felt Warren kiss her forehead and murmur, "I love you."

She to say, "I love you to", but she fell asleep too fast. It didn't matter though. Warren knew what she would've said and what she'll always say.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed. The ending was blah to me. Let me know what ou think. I respond to every un-anonymous review and they always make my day (except the flames. Flames are icky.) If I don't get a chapter out before then, Merry Christmas!<strong>


	11. Goodbye

**Hey guys. Um, yeah…soo PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I didn't update because I lost my FableHaven mojo. I know this is where you expect me to say "But it's back!" It's not. And I don't think it ever will be. By now you've probably guessed that this is the final update of _Everything After_. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story. I know I enjoyed writing it. Here we go... **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven or the song Your Heart Will Lead You Home by Kenny Loggins or any quotes by A.A. Milne.**

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><p>You have a feeling of regret in your stomach as you look around the house. It truly is beautiful. You've made so many memories here over the past year. But now it's all drawn to a close. The last hurrah. The final curtain call. But it's worth it. You will never forget the times you've had here. They'll always be in your heart.<p>

Here comes the hard part.

You walk into the living room to see Seth and Bracken playing a video game. You used to despise Bracken and his Gary-Sueness. But now you realize he's not too bad of a guy. He's been nice to you and who can forget the time you both upset the naiad pond with your stone skipping contest?

And then there's Seth. You're partner in crime and pseudo-brother. You helped him gather all that blackmail material on Warren, Vanessa, Mara, and Trask. A smile forms on your face when you remember how they chased you over the whole preserve once they found the tapes. That wasn't a fun moment at the time. Nor was the grounding that followed.

The two boys look up and pause their game. They look at you with confusion first, then sad understanding. Surprisingly, Bracken is the first to rise and walk over to you. You hold out your hand to shake, but he gathers you in a brotherly hug.

"I'll never forget you."

"Same to you." you murmur.

Then you turn to Seth. No words are spoken, and you simply hold each other in a long hug. You can hear him sniffling as he tries to keep from crying.

"Get into as much trouble as possible," he says. "Never have a dull moment."

"I'll always remember you and you're awesomeness."

You pull away before the tears fall and wave to them. You wall out to the front porch and vault the railing, just like you've done so many times before. You look to your right and see Ruth and Stan smiling at you. You walk over to them to say what you've been dreading. But before you open your mouth, Stan speaks for you.

"We've known that you'd be leaving for a while now. We just thought we'd let you decide when to make your move."

"I'm sorry," you start. "It's not that I dislike the preserve. I love it! But-"

This time it's Ruth who stops you. "It's time to move on."

You give them a watery smile and shake their hands. Then you turn away from them to find another friendly face. She's across the yard, talking to the fairies about the happenings of Fablehaven. When they see you, Kendra smiles and the fairies fly away. Kendra walks up to you with a sad yet understanding smile on her face.

"I suppose this is goodbye then?"

You can only nod, afraid of letting your true sadness show through your voice. You pull each other into a hug, saying nothing. No words need to be spoken. You pull away and wipe at your eyes. But it's in vain, for the Fairy girl has already noticed your tears. She says nothing but lets you go on your way.

You're about ten yard into the forest when you find Mara and Trask. Neither had ever been very vocal, so you talk with your eyes. You tell them thank you for all the things you've learned from them: tracking, tree climbing, horseback riding, all the cool stuff. Eventually, you all nod and they move to give you a hug. As you move toward them, you see the sunlight glint off the rings on their fingers and you smile, happy for your friends. When you pull away, you once again have to keep the tears from your eyes. You nod once again and set of at a brisk pace, trying to keep your façade.

As you hear laughter from a clearing up ahead, you realize this goodbye will be the hardest. You enter the break in the woods and see a cabin. Three people are reclining in front of it: Tanu, Vanessa, and Warren. You're closest friends during your time at the magical preserve. As you head toward them, memories flash through your mind: blowing up several potions with Tanu, going on missions with Warren, and talking with Vanessa about every topic under the sun. You remember being one of Vanessa's bridesmaids at her wedding to Warren, and dancing with Warren afterwards.

They look up as they see you approach, and so far they're the only ones today who haven't looked at you sadly. Tanu is the first the rise and greet you. He scoops you up in a big near hug, and struggle to free your arms to hug him back.

Warren comes up once your feet are on the ground again, and he slings his arm around you're head to give you a huge noogie. You laugh for the first time in ages and struggle to free yourself. It doesn't matter that your hair is messes up, or that you probably have a bruise on your head. Nothing matters right now except your friends.

Finally, you turn to Vanessa. You don't know what to say yet so you step toward her and hug her tightly. She hugs you back just as strongly and rubs your back as you finally let the tears fall. You don't sob loudly, but quietly to yourself, so that the others can barely hear. But they do all the same.

Vanessa pulls back and holds you at arms length. She looks at you and tells you "Don't forget us."

You shake your head fiercely, look all of them in the eye, and say, "Never."

"But blow something up every now and then. Just to keep life exciting."

"Warren!"

"I'm with him on this one, Vaness." says Tanu. You laugh and hug all of them again, not wanting to let go. But soon you know it's time and you let go.

"We'll walk with you to the gate."

When you all make it to the front gate, your one backpack slung over your shoulder, you turn back to look at everyone.

"I'll never forget you. Any of you. You'll always be with me, in my heart. That's the only thing that matters."

You turn around and begin to walk toward the gate. You hear a roar and look up, a shimmering silver dragon materializing out of seemingly no where. The winged reptile waves at you and you return the gesture.

Before you reach the gates, you look back over your shoulder once, at the people you've come to think of as family. You smile at them. Not a sad, regretful smile, but one that showed mischief and excitement. It was a smile that said, "Look out world. You'll never know what hit you."

You turn to wrought-iron gates and shove them open. You walk down the pathway with a siring in your step and your head held high. As you wave goodbye to Dale and make one final turn away from Fablehaven, a song that you haven't heard in a long time enters your mind:

_Sunny days and starry nights_

_and lazy afternoons_

_You're counting castles in the clouds_

_And humming little tunes_

_But somehow right before your eyes_

_The summer fades away_

_Everything is different_

_And everything has changed_

_If you feel lost_

_And on your own_

_And far from home_

_You're never alone, you know_

_Just think of your friends_

_The ones who care_

_They all will be waiting there_

_With love to share_

_And Your Heart Will Lead You Home~_

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><p><strong>I almost cried a few times writing this. And now I have to thank someone very important to this story and to me:<strong>

**Partridge in a Grape Tree- you helped me start this story and my Fablehaven path. You gave me countless ideas and loads of laughs. (Hey that rhymed!) You encouraged me when writers block got the best of me and without you, this story wouldn't be here now. Thank you. I promise to keep in touch and one day, we will take that boat ride to Hogwarts. **

**Honorable mentions:**

**BookLoverNumberUno, **

**wolfeclipse25**

**IMelinda**

_**How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.**_


	12. Guess who's back? Back again?

**Hey guys! After about 2.5 years, I have returned. I really want to continue writing for Fablehaven, and I need some help. I have some more oneshots (warrenxvanessa, still in love with them) I wrote, and I was just wondering: Should I delete the last chapter and just continue here, or start an entirely new story? Help out of you can, if not, I'll decide for myself :) Also, just wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who ever reviewed, favorite-d, anything. It really made the tough days easier these past two years. I love all of you Thanks and see you soon!**

**-Nostalgia (name to soon be changed)**


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